Self-sealing inflatable article

ABSTRACT

A self sealing inflatable article including an inflatable body portion and a neck portion having an opening, a ring member supporting the opening of the article and a plug member for sealing the opening wherein at least a portion of the body portion of the article is invaginated through the opening of the article with the plug member associated with the invaginated portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is an a reissue of U.S. Patent No. 8,349,417 issuedJan. 8, 2013 which is a U.S. national phase application under 35 U.S.C.§371 based upon co-pending International Application No.PCT/US2008/001725 filed on Nov. 21, 2008. Additionally, this U.S.national phase application and additionally claims the benefit ofpriority of co-pending International Application No. PCT/AU2008/001725filed on Nov. 21, 2008, and Australian Application Nos. 2007906391 filedon Nov. 22, 2007 and 2008900021 filed on Jan. 3, 2008. The entiredisclosures of the prior applications are incorporated herein byreference. The international application was published on May 28, 2009under Publication No. WO 2009/065177 A1.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to inflatable articles such as balloonsand similar and particularly to articles which are self sealing uponinflation.

BACKGROUND ART

A balloon is a flexible bag normally filled with a gas, such as helium,hydrogen or air. Some balloons are purely decorative, others are usedfor specific purposes. Early balloons were made of dried animalbladders. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber,latex, chloroprene or a nylon fabric.

Balloons have a number of uses including for flight, in entertainment oras decoration and medical uses as well, for example, large balloonsfilled with hot air or buoyant gas have been used as flying machinessince the 18th century.

Party balloons are mostly made of natural latex tapped from rubber treesand can be filled with air, helium, water, or any other suitable liquidor gas. The rubber allows for elasticity which makes the volumeadjustable. Most of this rubber is made from recycled material, such asused vehicle tyres.

Filling with air is performed with the mouth, with a manual or electricinflator (such as a hand pump) or a source of compressed air.

Angioplasty is a surgical procedure in which very small balloons areinserted into blocked or partially blocked blood vessels near the heart.Once in place, the balloon can be inflated to clear or compress arterialplaque, and to stretch the walls of the vein. A small stent can beinserted in its place to keep the vessel open after the balloon'sremoval.

Certain catheters have balloons at their tip to keep them from slippingout, for example, the balloon of a Foley catheter is inflated when thecatheter is inserted into the urinary bladder and to secure itsposition.

Regardless of their application, there have been many attempts in theart to provide a balloon or other inflatable article with self sealingaction or characteristics. One example of an attempt to provide a selfsealing toy balloon is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,770 which includesa pair of balloons, one located inside the other with the necks joinedin a sealed relationship and with small passageways in the inner balloonfor the escape of air therefrom into the outer balloon.

An example of a self sealing balloon for medical use is taught in U.S.Pat. No. 6,736,793. The balloon has an elastomeric membrane and aproximal opening with a self-sealing valve made up of a valve body forreceiving an inflation instrument to inflate the balloon. The valve bodyis preferably formed of a biocompatible elastomeric material andincludes a base portion and a sealing portion. The base portion isbonded to the elastomeric membrane so as to seal the proximal opening ofthe balloon. The sealing portion is located within the balloon andextends distally from the base into the balloon. The sealing portion iscompressibly sealable in response to a pressure within the balloonfollowing inflation of the balloon and removal of the inflationinstrument.

There are also many examples of balloons or other inflatable articlesthat are provided with elaborate and complex valve arrangements whichare positioned in the inlet of the balloon or other inflatable articleduring an assembly step either before use or during manufacture.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication isreferred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission thatthe publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art inAustralia or in any other country.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a self sealing inflatable article,which may at least partially overcome at least one of theabove-mentioned disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful orcommercial choice.

In one form, the invention resides in a self sealing inflatable articleincluding an inflatable body portion and a neck portion having anopening, a ring member supporting the opening of the article and a plugmember for sealing the opening wherein at least a portion of the bodyportion of the article is invaginated through the opening of the articlewith the plug member associated with the invaginated portion.

In a second form, the invention resides in a method for manufacturing aself-sealing inflatable article including the steps of

-   -   a) Providing an inflatable body portion and a neck portion        having an opening, a ring member supporting the opening of the        article and a plug member for sealing the opening;    -   b) Invaginating at least a portion of the body portion of the        article through the opening with the plug portion associated        with the invaginated portion; and    -   c) Inflating the article by inserting an inflating fluid into a        cavity defined between the body portion and the invaginated        portion.

The inflatable article of the present invention is particularly directedtowards a self sealing balloon for various uses including use in theentertainment and medical fields. However, it is also anticipated thatdepending upon the shape in which the article is made, it may have otheruses such as for example, an artificial orifice finding application as asex aid.

The article will be described with reference particularly to itsapplication as a balloon unless otherwise stated.

Balloons (and the inflatable article of the present invention) willtypically be manufactured from a liquid rubber material, the most commonform of which is latex, but depending upon the application, materialssuch as silicone may be used. The article may be coloured or patterned.Balloons are normally coloured using a pigment that is added to thelatex. The pigments may be either organic or inorganic compounds andtypically result in the article absorbing certain wavelengths of visiblelight and reflecting others.

The strength of the preferred material used (latex) can be affected bythe pigment if the pigment particle is large in size and interferes withthe film continuity and if the pigment reacts with any of the otheringredients in the latex. Preferably, where the article is coloured suchas in balloons, the pigments used are water dispersions of very smallparticle size, which decreases the interactions with other ingredientsin the latex.

The natural rubber latex that is most commonly used comes from the sapof the rubber tree.

The methodology of manufacturing an inflatable article such as thepresent invention is perhaps most easily described with reference toballoon manufacturing. To make the rubber tree sap suitable for balloonproduction, curing agents, accelerators, oil, colour, and water aretypically added. After these are added, the latex composition, typicallyin a liquid form, is put in an open top tank, and the balloon form,which is in the shape of a balloon, is dipped into the latexcomposition.

Before the form is dipped into latex, it is dipped into a coagulant thatcauses the rubber particles of the latex to collect on the form. Thecoagulant material is typically calcium nitrate, water, and/or alcohol.After the coagulant-coated form is dried, it is then dipped into thecompounded latex. Then the latex coated form passes through a set ofrevolving brushes that rolls the balloon neck into the bead that is usedto aid in the inflation of the balloon. The latex-coated form is thenwashed in hot water to remove any unused nitrate (the leaching step).Following the leaching, the form is put in an oven to cure. The mostpreferred parameters for the oven is at a temperature of betweenapproximately 90 to 110 for about 20-25 minutes. When cured, the rubberballoon is removed from the form (stripped).

The form used according to the present invention will be shapeddifferently according to the application to which the formed article isto be put.

Each balloon form is the shape and size of the uninflated balloon. Forexample, a balloon form for a round balloon is shaped like an invertedlight bulb. The forms are arranged into rows and dipped into liquidlatex in assembly line fashion. The latex at the top (thin) end of theform becomes the “lip” when it is rolled down (toward the wide end) by adevice which looks like a small motorized brush. As the rows of formsprogress down the line, they pass between rotating, cone shaped brushesthat are positioned horizontally, one on each side of each row of forms,pointing at the approaching forms. The brushes turn in oppositedirections and are positioned so they touch the forms on each side. Thepoint of the brushes start rolling the lip, and the lips continues toform as the row of forms moves along the line from the point to thelarger end of the brushes. This occurs while the latex is still uncured,just before it is vulcanized.

The form for balloons may alternatively be elongate, spherical orshapeless. It is noted at this juncture that the formed article willnormally be easier to inflate if the article is more elongate. Shorter,wider articles are not only more difficult to invaginate, but are alsogenerally more difficult to inflate.

Another particularly preferred shape has an elongate neck portion and abody portion having a bulbous main portion and an elongate tip portionlocated on the main portion, generally opposite the neck portion. Thetip portion will preferably be provided during manufacture of thearticle and the form will be correspondingly shaped. The provision ofthe elongate tip portion will be particularly advantageous when the rawarticle is invaginated with the tip portion usually forming theinvaginated portion. This invagination is much simpler to accomplish ifthe tip portion is elongate and approximately the length of the bulbousmain portion and the elongate neck portion.

There is preferably only a single opening provided on the article. Theopening is in the neck portion and will typically be at least partiallyoccluded by the tip portion when invaginated and normally totallyoccluded after inflation of the article.

There may alternatively be more than one opening. For example, thedevice could be made in a hollow configuration with a hollow tube orsimilar extending through the invaginated portion, and through the plugportion.

The article may also be formed with one or more layers of material. Forhigher demand applications such as medical purposes, there may be two ormore layers provided, one layer inside another. The layers may beseparate from one another or attached together.

The article of the invention also includes a ring member supporting theopening of the article. The ring member may be as simple as the rolledportion of the neck formed during removal of the article from the formduring manufacture. In this configuration, the ring portion willnormally be flexible.

The ring may alternatively be a ring member provided separately from theneck and body portions. More than one ring member may be provided,particularly where the article is formed from more than one layer. Thering member preferably stabilises the plug member after invagination ofthe tip portion. The ring member will therefore preferably define adimensionally stable opening size. If more than one ring member isprovided, there will preferably be an outer ring member and an innerring. The inner ring member may be provided between the neck portion anda folded back portion of the neck member and the outer ring member ispreferably provided outside the folded back portion.

The ring may be located on the article before invagination of the tipportion but preferably, the ring will be located after invagination andprior to inflation. The body portion of the article can then be threadedthrough the ring until the ring member is adjacent the opening of thearticle. Inflation of the article then forces the ring member upwards onthe neck portion but its travel is prevented by the plug member.

More than one ring member may be used. Where more than one ring memberis used, the ring members may be shaped to correspond to each other tolimit or prevent movement of the rings relative to one another. Inparticular, a pair of rings may be provided, one of the rings being anannular ring with a width (or thickness) dimension larger than a heightdimension (as opposed to a cylindrical ring with a height dimensionlarger than a width or thickness dimension) which may allow the articleto be more easily gripped or held in use.

The second of the pair of rings where provided is preferably shaped tobe located within the first ring and to be at least temporarily retainedthere. The second ring may have a depression or similar into which thefirst ring may be at least partially received. A portion of the secondring maybe arcuate in order to allow more convenient inflation of thearticle. There may be some degree of snap-fit between the first andsecond rings which may also be designated an outer and inner ringrespectively.

The plug member is preferably able to be forced through the opening ofthe article during the invagination process. It may therefore be capableof deformation in order to pass the dimensionally stable opening definedby the ring member. The plug member is normally located on the outsideof the tip portion prior to invagination and after invagination, islocated adjacent the opening and the ring member.

As stated above, the plug member may be deformable. According to aparticularly preferred embodiment, the plug member is deformable priorto and during invagination so as to pass the ring member, but isnon-deformable after invagination in order to hold its shape and preventthe pressure exerted during and after inflation from drawing or forcingthe plug member back through the opening.

Any method or means can be provided to accomplish this transition, butnormally the plug member will be formed of a settable or curablematerial. It could also be formed of a deployable mechanism. It isparticularly preferred that the plug member is formed of resinoussettable material or system. For example, a two part polymerisationsystem may be provided in different beads or other containers smallenough to pass the opening and ring member with little resistance. Afterpassing the ring member and opening, the beads or containers may beruptured allowing the two parts of the system to react to form asettable material for the plug member.

Many settable polymer systems are thermosetting. That is, they requireheat to initiate the reaction which “sets” the polymer. Preferably, theamount of heat will be quite small such as may be provided by rubbingthe beads in the tip portion together between a user's hands, but highenough that the reaction is not initiated by latent heat duringtransport or similar. The stability of the two part system may beparticularly important and is better controlled by providing rupturablebeads containing each of the two parts. In this manner, the reactioncannot be initiated until the beads are ruptured, regardless of how muchheat is applied.

The settable system will usually involve cross-linking of the polymerchains as opposed to linear polymerisation.

The plug member may also be manufactured of material having gooddeformability in a first direction and limited deformability in a seconddirection. These materials are called unidirectional materials and arenormally composite materials. The plug member can then be forced throughthe opening with the plug deformed in the first direction and once pastthe opening, the plug member can then be rotated to engage the openingand/or ring member with the plug member oriented in the seconddirection. Other methods include dielectric materials which aredeformable until an electrical current is passed through them whereuponthey become solid, preferably permanently.

Instead of passing the plug member through the ring member, a furtheralternative method of invaginating the article may be realised byfolding the opening outwardly about the body portion and upwardly towardthe plug member. In this manner, the plug can be substantially of anyform, shape or rigidity as it is not required to pass the ring member.

The plug member will typically be larger in cross-section to preventre-passing the opening. It is particularly preferred that the plug isconical in shape.

The plug member may also have an elongate portion adapted to be used toattach the plug to the article whilst maintaining the plug portionseparate to the interior of the article. In particular, the elongateportion may extend from the plug member and may have a bulbous orenlarged head portion at or adjacent an end. Normally, the elongate andbulbous portion may be forced into part of the wall of the article todeform but not pierce the article and a resilient fastener may beinserted into the interior of the article and over the bulbous portion,clamping the wall to the plug member.

The invagination of a portion of the body of the article typically formsa channel between the neck portion and the invaginated portion allowingfor inflation of the article. Inflation expands the inner chamber of thearticle also formed by the invagination, exerting tension on the articlebody and neck portions forcing the plug member into the opening to sealthe opening. One advantage of this system is that the more the articleis inflated, the greater the pressure created in the article and thetighter the seal created.

With regard to inflation, any fluid or semi-fluid may be used to inflatethe article. During trialling of the apparatus, air and water were twofluids used which each had the desired inflation.

The article also has a closed orifice formed by the tip portion and themain portion. This orifice may find application as a sex aid amongstother things such as a medical collection vessel. As the orifice issealed, it is ideal for the temporary storage of fluids. The articleitself will typically be small in its uninflated state and therefore besimple and cost effective to store and transport. The small size alsolends itself to the storage of the article in dispensing machines or thelike.

There are normally a pair of separate cavities created by theinvagination of the article and a fluid or material may be held in eachcavity without contamination of the material in the other of thecavities. Inserting materials into both may also form the seal of theplug with the neck. In this form, the cavity formed by invagination andnormally associated with the plug portion of the article (designated the“head cavity”) may be sealed by twisting the neck portion and thenallowing the natural bias of the material of construction to seal theneck. The device may be used in this manner as a transport vessel.

According to an alternative embodiment, a self sealing article includinga body portion and a neck portion having a neck opening, a body openingin the body portion, a ring member supporting a body opening and a plugmember for sealing the neck opening wherein at least a portion of theneck portion of the article is invaginated through the body opening ofthe article with the plug member sealing against the ring member.

In a fourth form, the invention resides in a method for manufacturing aself-sealing inflatable article including the steps of

-   -   a) Providing a body portion and a neck portion having a neck        opening, a ring member supporting a neck opening and a plug        member for sealing the neck opening;    -   b) Invaginating at least a portion of the body portion through        the neck opening with the plug member sealing against the ring        member; and    -   c) Inflating the article by inserting an inflating fluid into a        cavity defined between the body portion and the invaginated        portion.

The invaginated article may be formed by forcing a portion of the neckportion of the article through the ring member and the body opening.This draws the plug member to the ring member and also forms acontainment portion between the invaginated body portion and the neckportion. Inflation of the containment portion by insertion of materialinto the containment portion exerts force on the body and neck portionssealing the plug member against the ring member.

Normally the body portion and the neck portion will be manufactured of aresilient material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention will be described with reference tothe following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional side schematic view of an article according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention prior to invagination.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side schematic view of the article illustrated inFIG. 1 after invagination.

FIG. 3 is a sectional top schematic and perspective view of a preferredembodiment of plug member according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional side schematic view of the opening with ringmembers according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional side schematic view of an alternative hollowconfiguration of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional side schematic view of an article according to analternative embodiment after invagination.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side schematic view of an article according to afurther alternative embodiment after invagination.

FIG. 8 is a sectional side schematic view of an article according tostill a further embodiment of the invention prior to invagination.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

According to a preferred aspect, a self sealing inflatable article isprovided. The self-sealing article is described with particularreference to a balloon but has alternative applications as describedpreviously.

The self sealing inflatable article 10 as illustrated in FIG. 2 inparticular, includes an inflatable body portion 11 and a neck portion 12having an opening 13, a ring member 14 supporting the opening 13 of thearticle 10 and a plug member 15 for sealing the opening 13 wherein atleast a portion of the body portion 11 of the article is invaginatedthrough the opening 13 of the article with the plug member 15 associatedwith the invaginated portion.

The inflatable article of the present invention will typically bemanufactured in a manner similar to that of a conventional balloon andfrom a liquid rubber material, the most common form of which is latex.

To make the rubber tree sap suitable for balloon production, curingagents, accelerators, oil, colour, and water are typically added. Afterthese are added, the latex composition, typically in a liquid form, isput in an open top tank, and the balloon form, which is in the shape ofa balloon, is dipped into the latex composition.

Before the form is dipped into latex, it is dipped into a coagulant thatcauses the rubber particles of the latex to collect on the form. Thecoagulant material is typically calcium nitrate, water, and/or alcohol.After the coagulant-coated form is dried, it is then dipped into thecompounded latex. Then the latex coated form passes through a set ofrevolving brushes that rolls the balloon neck into the bead that is usedto aid in the inflation of the balloon. The latex-coated form is thenwashed in hot water to remove any unused nitrate (the leaching step).Following the leaching, the form is put in an oven to cure. The mostpreferred parameters for the oven is at a temperature of betweenapproximately 90 to 110° for about 20-25 minutes. When cured, the rubberballoon is removed from the form (stripped).

The form used according to the present invention will be shapeddifferently according to the application to which the formed article isto be put. The form for an article of the present invention mayalternatively be elongate, spherical or irregularly shaped. It is notedat this juncture that the formed article will normally be easier toinflate, the more elongate the article is. Shorter, wider articles arenot only more difficult to invaginate, but are also generally, moredifficult to inflate.

Each balloon form is the shape and size of the uninflated balloon. Forexample, a balloon form for a round balloon is shaped like an invertedlight bulb. The forms are arranged into rows and dipped into liquidlatex in assembly line fashion. The latex at the top (thin) end of theform becomes the “lip” when it is rolled down (toward the wide end) by adevice which looks like a small motorized brush. As the rows of formsprogress down the line, they pass between rotating, cone shaped brushesthat are positioned horizontally, one on each side of each row of forms,pointing at the approaching forms. The brushes turn in oppositedirections and are positioned so they touch the forms on each side. Thepoint of the brushes start rolling the lip, and the lips continues toform as the row of forms moves along the line from the point to thelarger end of the brushes. This occurs while the latex is still uncured,just before it is vulcanized.

The article 10 of the illustrated embodiment has an elongate neckportion 12, and a body portion 11 having a bulbous main portion 16 andan elongate tip portion 17 located on the main portion 16, generallyopposite the neck portion 12. The tip portion 17 is formed duringmanufacture of the article and the form is correspondingly shaped. Theprovision of the elongate tip portion 17 is particularly advantageouswhen the unassembled article, as illustrated in FIG. 1, is invaginatedwith the tip portion 17 forming the invaginated portion. Thisinvagination is much simpler to accomplish if the tip portion 17 iselongate and approximately the length of the bulbous main portion 16 andthe elongate neck portion 12.

The opening 13 is in the neck portion 12 and is at least partiallyoccluded by the tip portion 17 when invaginated, as can be seen fromFIG. 2 and normally totally occluded after inflation of the article 10.

The illustrated article is formed with two layers of material. Forhigher demand applications such as medical purposes, there may be two ormore layers provided, one layer inside another. The layers may beseparate from one another or attached together.

The illustrated article also includes an outer ring member 18 and aninner ring member 19, best illustrated in FIG. 4. The ring membersstabilise the plug member 14 after invagination of the tip portion 17.The ring members define a dimensionally stable opening size. The innerring member 19 is provided between the neck portion 12 and a folded backportion 20 of the neck portion, and the outer ring member 18 is providedoutside the folded back portion 20.

The ring members 18, 19 are located after invagination and prior toinflation. The body portion 11 of the article 10 can then be threadedthrough the ring members 18, 19 until the ring members are adjacent theopening 13 of the article. Inflation of the article then forces the ringmembers 18, 19 upwards on the neck portion 12 but its travel isprevented by the plug member 15.

The plug member 15 is able to be forced through the opening 13 of thearticle during the invagination process. It should therefore be capableof deformation in order to pass the dimensionally stable opening definedby the ring member(s). The plug member 15 is normally located on theoutside of the tip portion 17 prior to invagination and afterinvagination, is located adjacent the opening 13 and the ring member(s).

As stated above, the plug member 15 is preferably deformable. Accordingto a particularly preferred embodiment, the plug member 15 is deformableprior to and during invagination so as to pass the ring member, but isnon-deformable after invagination in order to hold its shape and preventthe pressure exerted during and after inflation from drawing or forcingthe plug member 15 back through the opening 13.

Any method or means can be provided to accomplish this transition, butnormally the plug member will be formed of a settable or curablematerial, and according to the preferred embodiment, of a two partpolymerisation system provided in different beads or other containerssmall enough to pass the opening 13 and ring member(s) with littleresistance. After passing the ring member(s) and opening 13, the beadsor containers are ruptured allowing the two parts of the system to reactto form a settable material for the plug member.

The plug member 15 is larger in cross-section than the opening 13 toprevent re-passing the opening 13. It is particularly preferred that theplug is conical in shape as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The preferred method for manufacturing a self-sealing inflatable articleincludes the steps of providing an inflatable body portion and a neckportion having an opening, a ring member supporting the opening of thearticle and a plug member for sealing the opening, invaginating at leasta portion of the body portion of the article through the opening withthe plug portion associated with the invaginated portion; and inflatingthe article by inserting an inflating fluid into a cavity definedbetween the body portion and the invaginated portion as illustrated bythe arrows in FIG. 2.

The invagination of a portion of the body of the article forms a channelbetween the neck portion 12 and the invaginated portion allowing forinflation of the article. Inflation expands the inner chamber of thebody portion 11 also formed by the invagination, exerting tension on thearticle body and neck portions 12 forcing the plug member 15 into theopening 13 to seal the opening 13. One advantage of this system is thatthe more the article is inflated, the greater the pressure created inthe article and the tighter the seal created.

With regard to inflation, any fluid or semi-fluid may be used to inflatethe article. During trialling of the apparatus, air and water were twofluids used which each had the desired inflation.

The article also has a closed orifice 21 formed by the tip portion 17,the main portion 16 and the plug member 15. This orifice 21 may findapplication as a sex aid amongst other things such as a medicalcollection vessel. As the orifice 21 is sealed, it is ideal for thetemporary storage of fluids.

The article 10 itself will typically be small in its uninflated stateand therefore be simple and cost effective to store and transport. Thesmall size also lends itself to the storage of the article in dispensingmachines or the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, more than one ring can be used, as in FIGS. 1,2 and 4, but in alternative configurations. The inner 19 and outer 18ring members illustrated in FIG. 5 are shaped to correspond to eachother to limit or prevent movement of the rings relative to one another.According to the embodiment in FIG. 5, the outer ring is an annular ringwith a width (or thickness) dimension larger than a height dimensionwhich may allows the article to be more easily gripped or held in use,utilising the outer ring 18.

The inner ring 19 is shaped to be located within the outer ring 18 andto be at least temporarily retained there. The inner ring 19 has adepression 22 into which the outer ring 1 is at least partiallyreceived. An outer portion of the inner ring 19 is arcuate in order toallow more convenient inflation of the article.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, there are a pair ofseparate cavities 23A and 23B created by the invagination of the articleand a fluid or material can be held in each cavity without contaminationof the material in the other of the cavities. Inserting materials intoboth may also form the seal of the plug 15 with the neck without theprovision of the plug as a separate component as illustrated in FIGS. 2and 7 in particular. In this form, the cavity 23A formed by invaginationand normally associated with the plug portion of the article (designatedthe “head cavity”) can be sealed by twisting the neck portion and thenallowing the natural bias of the material of construction to seal theneck 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the plug 15 can also have an elongate portion24 adapted to be used to attach the plug 15 to the article whilstmaintaining the plug 15 separate to the interior of the article. Inparticular, the elongate portion 24 extends from the plug 15 and has abulbous or enlarged head portion 25 at or adjacent an end. Normally, theelongate portion 24 and bulbous portion 25 are forced into part of thewall of the article to deform but not pierce the article and a resilientband 26 is inserted into the interior of the article and over thebulbous portion 25, clamping the wall to the plug 15.

According to an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the selfsealing article includes a body portion 11 and a neck portion 12 havinga neck opening 30, a body opening 31 in the body portion 11, a ringmember 18 supporting the body opening 31 and a plug member 15 forsealing the neck opening 30 wherein at least a portion of the neckportion 12 is invaginated through the body opening 31 with the plugmember 15 sealing against the ring member 18.

Manufacturing the self-sealing inflatable article of this embodimentincludes the steps of

-   -   a) Providing a body portion and a neck portion having a neck        opening, a ring member supporting a body opening and a plug        member for sealing the neck opening;    -   b) Invaginating at least a portion of the neck portion through        the body opening with the plug member sealing against the ring        member; and    -   c) Inflating the article by inserting an inflating fluid into a        cavity defined between the body portion and the invaginated        portion.

Prior to invagination, the ring member is inserted into the bodyportion, normally of a balloon or a similar device and the neck openingis then sealed. The body opening can be formed either before or afterthis step. Once the ring member is properly located supporting the bodyopening, a portion of the neck portion of the article can then forcedthrough the body opening, by invagination.

This draws the plug member to the ring member and also forms acontainment portion between the invaginated body portion and the neckportion. Inflation of the containment portion by insertion of materialinto the containment portion exerts force on the body and neck portionssealing the plug member against the ring member.

In the present specification and claims (if any), the word “comprising”and its derivatives including “comprises” and “comprise” include each ofthe stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or morefurther integers.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, theappearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” invarious places throughout this specification are not necessarily allreferring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more combinations.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A self sealing An inflatable articlecomprising: an inflatable body portion; a neck portion having anopening; having a first opening at a first end, the first openingleading to an elongated passage, said inflatable body portion includingat least a pair of one flexible ring members supporting the opening at asecond end of the article, wherein the pair of at least one flexiblering members comprises an outer ring member and an inner ring memberadjacent the outer ring member, the inner ring member is providedbetween the neck portion and a folded back portion of the neck portion,and the outer ring member is provided outside the folded back portion,wherein the folded back portion is a section of the neck portion that isfolded back over itself; is formed from an elastic material, and anexpandable cavity, a portion of which is formed by said elongatedpassage, said inflatable body portion, including said elongated passage,being formed from the elastic material; and a neck portion adjacent tothe inflatable body portion, the neck portion including a plug memberfor sealing the opening at a second end of the elongated passage whereinthe second end is substantially opposite the first end and wherein saidplug member forms a seal against the at least one flexible ring todefine a second opening into the expandable cavity between the plugmember and the at least one flexible ring; and wherein at least aportion of the body portion of the article is invaginated through theopening of the neck portion of the article with the plug memberassociated with the invaginated portion to inflate the article the sealformed between the plug member and the at least one flexible ring isbroken and fluid is inserted through the second opening into theexpandable cavity.
 2. The self sealing inflatable article as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the neck portion has an elongate neck portion, and thebody portion having a bulbous main portion and an elongate tip portionlocated on the main portion, opposite the neck portion elastic materialis a silicon-based material.
 3. The self sealing inflatable article asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the elongate tip portion has a lengthapproximately a length of the bulbous main portion and the elongate neckportion.
 4. The self sealing inflatable article as claimed in claim 1,wherein the second opening is a single opening provided on the articleat least partially occluded by the invaginated portion when invaginatedand totally occluded after inflation of the article.
 5. The self sealinginflatable article as claimed in any one of the preceding claims,wherein the article is formed from more than one layer of material forhigher demand applications.
 6. The self sealing inflatable article asclaimed in claim 5, wherein the layers are attached together.
 7. Theself sealing inflatable article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ringmember is dimensionally stable against accidental passage of the plug.8. The self sealing inflatable article as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe at least one flexible ring member is formed integrally with the neckinflatable body portion.
 9. The self sealing inflatable article asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the ring member is separate from the neckand body portions.
 10. The inflatable article of claim 1 wherein theplug is deformable.
 11. The inflatable article of claim 10 wherein thebody portion has a third opening formed within the plug which leads to ahollow tube which extends through the plug into the elongated passage.12. The inflatable article of claim 1 further comprising a fastener forclamping said plug.
 13. The inflatable article of claim 1 wherein thearticle is self sealing.
 14. The inflatable article of claim 1 whereinthe plug is conical shaped.
 15. The inflatable article of claim 8wherein the at least one ring is formed of a rolled end portion of saidinflatable body portion.
 16. The inflatable article of claim 1 whereinthe fluid is water.
 17. The inflatable article of claim 1 wherein thearticle adopts an uninvaginated configuration wherein the seal betweenthe at least one flexible ring and the plug member is fully broken. 18.The inflatable article of claim 1 wherein the article is configured foruse as a sex aid.